Yoga teacher Duncan Parviainen is a live example of how being vegan can be a part of healthy living – with great shape, power and flexibility. Duncan is one of the most successful yoga teachers in Toronto, and his outlook over life include lots of compassion toward animals. Plus, after couple of years of being vegan, he noticed that there is no real reason to eat meat and dairy, and that he can do very well without!

The red rice recipe that Duncan loves is very simple to make, healthy and delicious.

Never MEAT Again: How long are you vegan?

Duncan Parviainen: I have been vegan for almost 2 years now and before that I was vegetarian for 6 years.

NMA: Why you became vegan?

DP: I became vegan after watching the movie ‘Forks Over Knives’. The movie taught me the science, incredible benefits and facts of eating a whole food plant powered diet. The movie taught me that I didn’t need to eat animals or their products to be healthy; in fact, I would be healthier if I was not consuming animal products. I was also inspired by some of the world’s top athletes (like Scott Jurek) who are vegan and say it improves their performance.

NMA: What are the benefits of being vegan for you? How it’s effecting you?

DP: I have experienced so many benefits after switching to a vegan diet: I feel stronger, I recover quicker from workouts, I sleep better, I don’t suffer from as much mid-day fatigue, I feel more clarity, I have more energy and I just feel like I am giving my body exactly what it needs. Two of the biggest benefits to me, however, are: knowing that I am no longer supporting harsh and cruel treatment of animals and that by eating vegan I am reducing greenhouse gas emissions, rainforest destruction, pollution, while saving water and other precious resources.

NMA: Why do you think it is important to make a donation for children programs about healthy food choices?

DP: I think it is so important to make a donation for children programs about healthy food choices because there is a great need for education about what a healthy diet looks like. In school I was always taught that I needed to eat meat and drink milk to be healthy- I grew up thinking that it would be very unhealthy to stop eating animal products. During my 20’s I am glad I took some time to do more research and educate myself on what a healthy, environmentally sustainable diet looks like. How I eat now makes me feel so alive and healthy, if I had been taught the benefits of eating a plant powered diet when I was a child I would have been much healthier and less sick growing up.